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Saturday 12 December 2015

Dressember



DRESSEMBER IS A COLLABORATIVE MOVEMENT

LEVERAGING FASHION AND CREATIVITY

TO RESTORE DIGNITY TO ALL WOMEN.



You may have seen my post about doing the Walk for Freedom with A21 the anti-human trafficking charity, this December I am supporting them once again. The idea of Dressember is that you commit to wearing a dress everyday of December, all thirty-one days. In doing so you raise awareness for women and girls who have been trafficked and don't have a choice in what they wear.

Believe me wearing a dress everyday is hard and there are times when I want to put on a nice comfy pair of jeans but I resisted that so far. For me the challenge will be wearing a dress on my upcoming days of hiking during the holidays, I will probably wear jeans. The idea is that you wear a dress even when it's inconvenient and you don't want to. This really is hard and I have a lot of respect for women. On cold and windy days, which in St Andrews there are many, wearing a dress is a horrible experience. When the wind blows your skirt up and everyone can see your knickers, you lose a little dignity. But that's why I am doing this challenge.

There are thousands of women all over the world who don't get to decide what they wear. Their dignity is not under their control. They are exploited for their femininity. We wear a dress to stand for the inherent dignity of women. 

You can follow along with Dressember at dressember.org and on instagram as @dressember. You can also follow the Just Love UK Dressember blog, a different member from groups all over the UK is posting each day about why they are doing Dressember. The posts so far have been really good and we've nearly reached our fundraising target!


I'll update this post as December comes to an end. Just two weeks in and my thoughts and views are already changing.


(picture is from @jennakutcher on instagram)

Thursday 3 December 2015

Everyday Emily



Travelling
As mentioned in a previous post I spent a couple of days in Brussels and it was so nice to get away from university and explore a new city. On the back of that very short trip I came home and immediately booked flights to Rome! My degree is ancient history so I have just spent the past year learning about both the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, it will be nice to see some of the places I've read and written about. I have been to Italy once before (Sorrento/Naples) and I loved every part of it. I am very excited to go with my best friend and spend our time eating pizza and gelato whilst surrounding myself in history. I am also going in March so it will be a nice time to relax before deadlines and exams! 




Being thankful
It's not surprising considering I am Scottish but I have never actively participated in a thanksgiving meal before, this all changed this year. We had chicken instead of turkey and it was more like a roast dinner but it was still a lovely evening. I was reminded of how many amazing and kind people I know, and how lucky I am to call them my friends! 



Mental Health
This isn't a very cheery thing to write but it's been a really huge part of my life recently. These past few weeks have been so difficult for me and I have finally worked up the strength to admit how I am feeling and get help. It can be hard to ask for help especially when mental illness is so often overlooked. However one counselling session later and I already feel better. It's definitely going to be difficult and it won't be perfect but I will feel better and I cant wait. 




Embracing life
Today was weird, but also incredible and exactly the reason I love St Andrews. My friend and I were stopped by an older gentleman on the street who asked us where the best place to get coffee was. We replied with a really great social initiative cafe and chatted to him on the street for another ten minutes. Fast forward two hours and two cafes. This random stranger asking about coffee is a professor at a really good university, started a charity and is designing a new college! A chance encounter on the street is now one of my favourite memories with my friend and I now have a really great contact for the future. This tiny town is my favourite place in the world.